Chapter 516: Extra: Gu Nian - Midsummer Echo (4)

On the playground not far away, a teacher was leading the children in gym class.

Gu Nian had been watching over the children with Assistant He and a few others, but just as he stopped a little one with a loose shoelace, he caught a glimpse of Ji Mu sneaking away.

He tied the child’s shoelaces and followed in Ji Mu’s direction, only to find him trying to seduce Jiang Qingli.

And with such a crude method, at that.

But when faced with Gu Nian, Ji Mu showed no sign of guilt.

He acted startled, shrinking his shoulders and stumbling back a step. His voice was a thin tremble. “I-I’m sorry… Brother Gu Nian, it’s all my fault. You have every right to be angry, but—”

He bit his lip, his trembling lashes lifting to reveal tear-filled eyes as he looked at Jiang Qingli. “I want to compensate Miss Jiang first…”

Gu Nian: “…”

‘He dares to brazenly flirt with Jiang Qingli right in front of me.’

‘If I hadn’t been here just now, would that slut’s clothes have just burst right off his body?’

‘Ah, the body of that assassin from this morning probably wasn’t enough to satisfy the snakes in the Underground City. Maybe I should send Ji Mu over too…’

Jiang Qingli’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Ji Mu.”

“My lady…”

Ji Mu looked up as if startled, a single teardrop happening to roll down his cheek, glistening in the sunlight and looking exceptionally pitiable.

This was a pose he had meticulously designed in front of a mirror.

‘A high-status female master like Jiang Qingli must be tired of playing with arrogant types like the Prince or Marshal Xie. A young nobleman like him, with his innocent flower boy persona, could offer her a sense of novelty.’

‘As for Gu Nian, he’s the same type, but not as young. He’ll be cast aside sooner or later.’

Ji Mu was so focused on staring at Jiang Qingli that he didn’t notice the expression on Gu Nian’s face had vanished, replaced by a cold look in his pink eyes, as if he were staring at a dead man.

“Ji Mu.” There was no impatience on Jiang Qingli’s face, only the indifference of someone who had seen through his act. Her voice was like ice. “You don’t need to come tomorrow. I’ll explain it to your mother.”

Ji Mu, still basking in the smug satisfaction of his perfect performance, was doused by her words as if with a bucket of cold water.

His eyes widened in shock.

He wanted to say something, but Jiang Qingli had already turned around and taken Gu Nian’s hand. “Let’s go.”

After a few steps, Jiang Qingli looked at Gu Nian, her voice now holding a smile as it returned to normal. “Help your female master change her clothes.”

Gu Nian’s lips curved up. “Okay.”

He glanced back at the bed-climbing trash standing frozen in place, his gaze a taunt.

Ji Mu stood up, realizing he had underestimated this pretty face.

People could come by the hallway at any moment. Ji Mu clutched his collar and hurried after them toward the living quarters.

…

Jiang Qingli looked at her terminal again. The call had been disconnected.

It had ended two minutes ago, and the call duration was a full five minutes.

Ji Mu had arrived not long after the call connected.

‘In other words, Xie Youchen, on the other end of the line, had heard the entire saga of Ji Mu’s premeditated attempt to seduce her…’

Jiang Qingli: “…”

She’d encountered this sort of thing plenty of times, but it was always a bit awkward to be caught in the middle of it.

She opened the chat window, intending to tell Xie Youchen it was handled, but found that he had already sent a message.

There were only two.

The first: [The Ji Family’s youngest son?]

The second: [I’ll take care of it.]

“Marshal Xie doesn’t need to handle this.” The young man’s voice rang out, tinged with dissatisfaction. “Qingli, I can solve it too.”

They had reached the door of the guest room the orphanage had arranged for them.

Opening the door, Jiang Qingli pinched his cheek and chuckled. “You’re here on vacation with me. Why bother with all that?”

‘As if.’

‘Xie Youchen, ruthless as he is, still has some restraint. If Gu Nian made a move, Ji Mu wouldn’t even get to keep his body in one piece.’

How could Gu Nian not know what she was thinking?

The young man frowned, a flash of hurt in his eyes that he quickly suppressed.

He took Jiang Qingli’s fingers and pressed them to his cheek, his voice low. “Qingli, my clothes got dirty just now, too. Can you help me pick out a new one? And the bow tie, I never know how to tie it…”

Normally, Gu Nian was independent and sensible, even serving Jiang Qingli with complete obedience. Aside from his passion in bed, he rarely asked her to do anything for him.

Jiang Qingli keenly sensed approaching footsteps.

Knowing Gu Nian was doing this deliberately for his rival to see, she didn’t expose him. A smile touched her lips, and she played along, pitching her voice to be even more gentle and doting. “You’re my precious darling. This little thing is nothing. Even if you wanted the stars in the sky, I’d pluck them for you.”

Gu Nian froze.

He could guess that Jiang Qingli was just indulging his awkward jealousy.

But hearing her say those words sent a jolt of electricity through him. Gu Nian felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, leaving him feeling light and hot. He didn’t even have the mind to look at the defeated dog expression on Ji Mu’s face as Jiang Qingli easily led him into the room.

…

When he returned to the playground, Gu Nian had changed his clothes.

Gym class had just ended, and the teacher was leading the children away.

Assistant He was about to put away the equipment when he turned and saw Gu Nian, startling for a moment. “Mr. Gu, do you have heatstroke?”

“No,” Gu Nian said, his tone calm.

‘If not, then why are his face and ears so red…’

Assistant He just assumed he was in poor health and didn’t say more, only telling him he could go to the infirmary if he felt unwell.

Gu Nian thanked him, bent down to pack up the equipment, and looked at Assistant He. “Assistant He, I saw a few children coughing. Please prepare some cold prevention medicine.”

Assistant He was a little surprised by his thoughtfulness. “Okay, I’ll have them prepare it right away.”

“They probably drank the ice water Mr. Ji brought after strenuous exercise,” a teacher to the side said, annoyed with herself. “How did I not notice?”

Another teacher said, “It’s so rare these days to see a young male who likes children this much.”

Gu Nian smiled. “I’m just glad I can be of some help to my female master.”

Gu Nian didn’t particularly like or dislike children. But Jiang Qingli liked them, so he helped out, doing his best to the best of his ability.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Gu Nian carried the equipment to the storage room.

He had just put it down and straightened up when a voice spoke. “You’re quite the caring type, aren’t you.”

Ji Mu was standing at the door, his tone contemptuous.

“Oh, I forgot. You grew up in an orphanage too. Seeing these people must bring back a lot of feelings.”

Gu Nian stood up straight and looked at him. “What are you trying to say?”

“I know you don’t have a great background. In the First District, you must have been ostracized by others often, right?” Ji Mu took a step back, a sympathetic look on his face. “In the Jiang Family, those Beast Husbands from noble backgrounds must give you a hard time too, right?”

“But that’s okay. If you team up with me and help me win Jiang Qingli’s heart, I can make your life less difficult…”

“We’re both males, and we’re both from the Twelve Cities. We should help each other out—”

Before he could finish, Gu Nian suddenly lunged forward, grabbed his neck with one hand, and slammed him into the corner. Before Ji Mu could react, Gu Nian stomped a foot onto his shoulder.

The movement seemed light, but Ji Mu felt an immense weight on his shoulder, making it impossible to break free.

Having been annoyed by this damn bed-climbing trash from morning till night, Gu Nian’s patience had run out.

The young man pressed down with his foot, his beautiful pink eyes narrowing. His voice was cold, light, and condescending. “And who said you and I are a ‘we’?”

A fleeting smile touched the corners of Ji Mu’s lips.

The next second, Ji Mu shrank back in fear, whispering, “Mr. Gu, you… how could you be this kind of person? If Miss Jiang finds out…”

Gu Nian realized something and turned his head to see Jiang Qingli slowly walking toward them.

“I know,” Jiang Qingli said. “And I saw everything very clearly.”

A trace of astonishment flashed across the young man’s face.

Ji Mu, who had orchestrated the whole thing, almost laughed out loud at the sight.

‘He knew it. This lowly plebeian wasn’t as pure and innocent as he looked. Sure enough, a few words were all it took to make him show his true colors.’

An image of Jiang Qingli ruthlessly abandoning Gu Nian flooded his mind. Ji Mu’s eyes widened, afraid he’d miss a single detail.

However, the scene he had imagined didn’t play out.

Jiang Qingli stopped in front of them, a hint of a smile in her dark eyes.

She circled Gu Nian twice, then nodded. “Hm, that was actually pretty hot.”